Screw-actuated vise jaw quickly



June 20, 1950 A. s. GRAETHER scREw-AcTUATED vIsE JAw QUICKLY ADJUSTABLE ALONG RACK GUIDEWAY F'iled July 3l, 1946 Patented June 2Q, 1950 SCREW-ACTUATED VISE JAW QUICKLY ADJUSTABLE ALONG RACK I Arthur S. GraethcrlDetroit, Mich. j

Application July V31, 1946, Serial No. 687,265

1 Claim.

This invention relates to vises, and in particular to portable vises for use in holding articles during. machining operations and the like.

One object is to provide the movable jaw of a vise with a central opening through which an adjusting screw holder extends for engagement with overhanging guideways on the base of the vise, and to provide an inclined screwshaft extending through said holder and engaging an inclined abutment surface on the movable jaw, the movable jaw being provided with forward and rearward portions located respectively forward and rearward of said opening and having depending portions with laterally extending arms engaging the under sides of the overhanging guideways so as to provide rm guidance for the movable jaw, yet be comparatively free from binding by reason of chips falling between the moving parts.

Another object is to provide a vise, as set forth in the preceding objects, wherein the Abase of the vise is providedwlth an enlarged groove for the reception of chips, this groove being preferably open at both ends to facilitate the removal of such chips.

Other objects and advantages ofthe invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan View of a vise according to a preferred form of the invention Figure 2 is a side elevation of the vise shown in Figure 1, partly broken away in central vertical section through the movable jaw;

Figure -3 is a vertical section-along the line 3-3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical section along the line 4--4 in Figure 2; y

Figure 5 is a vertical section along the line 5--5 in Figure2, showing the adjusting screw support; and

Figure 6 isa .fragmentary front elevation oil-the screwshaft support shown in Figure 5,as removed from the vise.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figures 1 to 6 inclusive show a preferred form of the vise of the present invention as consisting generally of a base and fixed jaw `unit I0, a movable jaw unit Il, and an adjusting unit I2. These respective units cooperate to form the vise asa whole, and are therefore generally designated by reference numerals .and lead arrows.

The base unit I0 consists of a bed I3 having a bottom wall I4 and upwardlyextending side walls l5 (Figures 3, 4.an'd5) having anA elongated o5 `groove I6 between them. Bolted as at Il to the top surfaces I8 is a pair of inwardly extending guide bars I9 overhanging'the groove I6 and provided with ratchet teeth 20 on their undersides. The forward end of the base unit I0 is provided with an upstanding fixed jaw 2l preferably integral therewith and having arecessed' generally verticali wall 22 to which a hardened jaw plate 23 is removably secured, as by thefbolts 24. The jaw Vplate 23 is provided withv a recessed upper surface l25 extending downwardly'to a shoulder 26 for the support of relatively shallow workpieces and also with a vertical V-groove 21 for the reception of workpieces having curved portionsy or of circular cross-section, such as collars or shafts. The outer and upper portion of the `fixed jaw 2| is inclined as at 28. The bottom wall 'I4 is provided at intervals with openings 29 for the reception of the point of a drill after passing through the workpiece and also for the escape of chips.

AThe movable jaw 'unit Il consists of a hollow roughly rectangular member with front and rear portions 30 'and '3| respectively interconnected by side portions 32, the front portion 30 being higher than the rear portion 3| so that the upper surfaces of the side portions 32 are inclined downwardly from front to rear. The front and rear portions I33 and 3| are provided with narrowed neck portions 33 `and 34 respectively (Figures 3 and 4) extending downward between the guide bars I9 and having outwardly extending portions 35 and 36 respectively, the upper surfaces of which engage the lower surfaces of the overhanging portions of the guide bars I9 so as `to slide therealong. The ratchet teeth v20 are spaced apart from one another at intervals suicient to provide flat portions 31 therebetween (Figure 2) for engagement by the flat upper 'surfaces of the outwardly extending portions 35 and '36, TheY portions 30, 3l and 32 encircle an approximately rectangular openin'g 38 (Figure 1) so thatthe movable jaw unit I l .has the form of a hollow rectangular frame. Thus, the side portions 32 form bridges between the forward and rearward portions 30 and 31., the latter by its relatively great spacing yaway from theformer providing a great leverage which insures smooth sliding action of the movable jaw unit II Without binding. The forward portion 30 has an inclined rear surface Aor abutment wall -39 for engagement by the adjustment unit I2 as described below. The forward wall of the movable .jaw unit I I is provided with a recessed surface 40 .extending downwardly to a shoulder M and cooperating with the corresponding portions and 26 on the jaw plate 23 to receive relatively shallow workpieces.

The adjusting unit I2 includes a roughly I- shaped screwshaft holder 42 (Figures 5 and 6) having an approximately triangular upper portion 43, a narrowed neck portion 44 extending downward between the overhanging portions of the guide bars I9, and outwardly extending lower portions having pawl teeth 46 on their upper edges, the top surface 41 thereof being inclinedl downwardly and rearwardly (Figure 2) to provide free action of the pawl teeth 46 with the ratchet teeth 29. For the same reason, the up`- per portion 43 is provided with downwardly inclined lower surfaces 48 terminating inf* horizontal bottom surfaces 49. '1 -'he surfaces 41 and 48 are approximately parallel so as to provide, in effect, a passageway therebetween such that when the screwshaft holder 42 is tilted forward, the surfaces ,lI'I and 48 approach parallelism with the vupper and lower surfaces of the `guide bars I9 so as to permit free sliding movement and at the same time, disengagement of the pawl teeth 46 from the ratchet teeth 29. v

The screwshaft holder 42 is provided with an upwardly and rearwardly inclined threaded bore 59 (Figure 2) into which is threaded a correspondingly threaded screwshaft 5I having a hand wheel 52 of relatively4 large diameter at the rear "e move forward and clamp the workpiece tightly between it and the fixed jaw portion 2I. The tilted construction of the screwshaft 5I, as previously stated, provides for the use of a relatively large handwheel 52 and at the same time adequate space between it and the guide bars I9 so that a powerful grip may be obtained without jamming the fingers. At the same time, this .tilted construction enables th'evforward end 53 of the screwshaft to engage the inclined abutment surface 39 at a height which is relatively close Y to the guide bars I9, thereby reducing the teriend thereof and a rounded tip 53 at the forward end engaging the inclined abutment surface 39. 'I'he axis of the screwshaft 5I is arranged .per-

pendicular to the abutment surface 39 and the i latter is inclined at' such an angle to the top surfaces of the guide bars I9 as to provide adequate space between them and the hand wheel 52 for convenient grasp by the fingers, and at the same time enabling the hand wheel 52 to be of .sufficiently large diameter to providea powerful grip for the fingers so as to exert a great mechanical advantage upon the screwshaft 5I for clamping the workpiece between the'jaw portions ZI and 39. This is in contrast with the placing of the screwshaft parallel with the bed in prior vises, which gives a cramped'position for the fingers, enables the use of' only a relatively small handwheel, or requires a wrench for adjustingthe screwshaft. The fixed jaw portion 28 is provided with a passageway 54 forming an extension of the groove I6 in the base unit I9 (Figure 2).

In the operation of the vise of this invention, the operator grasps the hand wheel 52 as a handle and tilts the screwshaft holder 42 forward to disengage the pawl teeth 46 from the ratchet teeth 29, and, while holding the screwshaft holder 42 in this forward tilted position, pulls it back or pushes it forwardsoas to move the movable jaw unit l I forwardor backward until the workpiece Ats approximatelyv between the ja'wportions 2| and 39. If the' workpiece is shallow; it is placed between the-recessed surfaces 25 and 49 and resting upon the shoulders 26 andr 4I. IIf it has a curved portion or is of circular cross-section,'it is placed in the vertical V-groove'21 (Figure 1). f

When the workpiece has thus been approximately positioned'between the xe'd and movable jaw portions 2| and 39, the hand wheel 52 is swung downward so as to tilt the screwshaft holder 42'downward and rearward, thereby moving the pawl teeth 46 upward `into engagement with the nearest ratchet teeth 29. The 'operator then rotates the hand wheel 52 and screwshaft 5I, thereby causing the `movable jaw unit II to dencyI for vthe movable jaw unit II to bind. The provision of the rear cross portion 3I at a distance relatively remote from the forward portion 39 still further reduces this tendency to bind by hgiving additional surfaces resting upon the guide bars I9 at a relatively great distance from the supporting surfaces of the forward jaw portion 39. The relatively great longitudinal spacing of these supporting surfaces of the portions 39 and 3I also reduces the distance by which the forward wall 49 of the movable jaw portion will tilt forward when pressure is applied to the screwshaft 5I to clamp; the workpiece, since this tilt is very much yreduced by the relatively great distance of the rear portion 3| from the forward portion 39, much like a long lever as contrasted with a short lever. In prior vises, lacking this rear portion 3I, the relatively Vshort distance between the vfront and rear surfaces of the movable'jaw results in excessive tilting of the movable jaw when pressure is applied by the screwshaft.

The workpiece, thus mounted in the vise, may thenbe transferred to a'machine tool, such as a drill press, Shaper, milling machine or the like, and the machining operations performed, either by holding the vise with one hand or by clamping it to the machine table. If drilling is to be performed, the drill may be allowed to pass completely through the workpiece without danger of drilling the Ivise itself, because 'of the'provision of the'openings'29 in the base I4 thereof. The relatively large lvolume of the groove I6 in the bed I3 enables the reception of a relatively large volume of chips and these may easily be cleaned out by tilting the vise forward and permitting them to drop either through the openings 29 or through the passageway 54 constituting an extension of the groove I 6 through the fixed jaw portion 2I (Figure 2) While I have shown and described -my invention in detail, it' is to be understood that the same is to be limited only by the appended claim, for many changes may be made without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I' claim is:` f

A vise comprising a longitudinally grooved base having-a fixed-jaw and a pair of longitudinal guideways vo'verhanging said groove and having longitudinally spaced ratchet teeth 'on the overhanging portions thereof, amovable'jawslidably mounted on said base for travel along said guideways, a ,screw shaft support extending downwardly into said'groove and havingpawl teeth selectively engagingsaid ratchet teeth, and a vclamping screwshaft mounted on said support at van'acute angle to said base and engaging an inclined abutment surface on said movable jaw, said movable jaw comprising a hollow frame with a forward work engaging member, a rearward auxiliaryx supporting member connected thereto and disposed remotel therefrom and engaging said guideways, said hollow frame providing an opening through which said clamping lscrew vsupport REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Taylor Apr. 24, 1888 Welter Mar. 6, 1906 Blum Mar. 10, 1914 Gross Dec. 7, 1915 Wardman Aug. 1, 1916 Wells Deo. 15, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Aug. 25, 1904 

